Police unable to locate barricaded man in burned home's rubble {raid on Michigan Militia Chaplin}

AP via MLive.com (Ann Arbor News) ^ | 7/9/2003 | JAMES PRICHARD

[wysiwyg]

Doubtful.

[Catspaw]

I really wonder if these folks ever stop to consider the consequences of their actions.

Well, let's see: you've got someone facing a felony sex charge which'd be plea bargained down to a misdemeanor--or if he got lucky, a muni ticket. But nope, he barricades himself in his house, lets the cops know he's armed, he lets his wife go after 3 hours, after 18 hours, the cops go in, a cop is dead, another injured, he takes off, there's warrant out for his arrest for open murder and felony firearms charge.

There just doesn't seem to be a lot of Deep Thought going on here--unless he either wants to spend the rest of his life in a supermax or dies in a shootout with the police.

[Catspaw]

The best pic of all was the guy who not only had the all camo on without a lick of orange, had his face painted, and was carrying two antlers.

This was for deer gun season? Oh, lordy, what a hoot!

[spunkets]

"This was for deer gun season?"

Archery.

[Joe Hadenuf]

No, no, no. Camo SUVs and trucks are just fine, albeit unnecessary IMO. (Chrome-festooned and "tricked-out" SUVs and trucks are completely ridiculous.)

LOL, I like the lowered SUVs, with all the chrome....

[Catspaw]

I know :-)) My 1st hubby did the early deer bow season, the deer gun season and the late deer bow season (and also pheasant, duck, goose...you name it). He had both camo & blaze orange in his hunting/fishing closet (and it was a BIG closet). I even made him a reversible knit hunting cap, blaze orange on one side, camo on the other. He loved that cap--and I ended up making caps like his for all of his buddies.

[RGSpincich]

Interesting article. Bringing the text over because the linked site sometimes drops articles quickly.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news-2/105776201911850.xml


Suspect involved for years in anti-government groups

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

FROM WIRE SERVICES REPORTS

Scott Allen Woodring, sought by police in a deadly standoff, was known to many in Fremont, including police.

Between 1996 and 2000, he had 11 city, township and state violations, all of them misdemeanors or civil infractions, according to Newaygo County Prosecutor's Office administrator Angela Moore.

Woodring appeared in court to argue against such laws as license plate renewals, although he always paid resulting fines, Moore said.

"Typical militia stuff, but nothing to indicate this type of reaction," she said.

Tom Wayne, former chief of staff and executive officer of the Michigan Militia Corps Wolverines, told The Detroit News that Woodring was active in the group until the mid-1990s. They parted ways over ideological differences.

"He started getting more and more into the Christian Identity movement," said Wayne, who said the militia is largely inactive now.

Christian Identity espouses racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic beliefs.

"He was misguided in a lot of his stuff. We used to be friends," Wayne said. "I tried to take him out of this stuff, but it was too ingrained with these other clowns.

"He was a nice guy."

Woodring modeled his beliefs after the Freemen of Montana, a Christian Identity sect that made national headlines in 1996 when they held off federal FBI agents in an 81-day standoff in Montana.

That year Woodring ran unsuccessfully for the post of Dayton Township supervisor in rural Newaygo County on an antigovernment platform modeled after the Freemen.

That same year, he attended a gathering in Kansas City where so-called delegates to a Third Continental Congress planned the downfall of the United States government.

Woodring worked at Gerber Products food plant several years ago, and his wife, Darlene "Cookie" Woodring, has worked there for 22 years.

Plant workers said Scott Woodring was called "Train Tracks" because of his fascination with trains that passed through the township of about 2,000 people that abuts the city of Fremont. He frequently took notes about trains, the cargo and identification numbers.

"When Scott felt threatened, he would act on the threat," said Felix Weglarz, a 49-year-old father of two who worked with Woodring years ago at Gerber.

Weglarz described Woodring as a honest man but a bit of an eccentric loner. "If they'd contacted those who knew him best, they would not have stormed the house."

He also frequently wrote letters to the editor to The Chronicle and other newspapers decrying his perception that morality in America was on the decline or addressing minutia of Biblical or Constitutional history.

About a month before the alleged sex solicitation, he wrote one in to the Times Indicator, a Fremont weekly, headlined "Indecency."

In it, he attacked policy- makers for lax rulings on moral behavior issues. He quoted religious texts in the May 28 issue, saying "I have this against you, you perit Jezebel to teach My servants that sex sin is not a serious matter."

In other letters, he implores readers to "honor their creator," study the Bible, practice stewardship, save the environment and observe the Sabbath.

Suzie Burdick, of Everett Township in Newaygo County, said she and Woodring have been close friends. Burdick noted that while Woodring holds strong anti-government views, he was nonviolent.

"He's the most loving person I've ever known, just about. He's kind, considerate, loving, caring and loved his wife dearly," Burdick said.

[Poohbah]

Plant workers said Scott Woodring was called "Train Tracks" because of his fascination with trains that passed through the township of about 2,000 people that abuts the city of Fremont. He frequently took notes about trains, the cargo and identification numbers.

You know, if I knew that a guy who was invited to leave a militia because he was too radical for their tastes was watching and taking copious notes on trains, their cargo, and their ID numbers...I'd be concerned.

[hchutch]

Me, too. He just might decide to do something nasty since he has little left to lose.

Does Michigan have the death penalty for cop-killers?

[Poohbah]

Nope. No death penalty, period.

[SCR1]

MSP feel that Woodring had most likely left the house in Fremont prior to the attempted forced entry. Police stated that Woodring may have left as early as Monday afternoon. A search of the ruins has yet to turn up any evidence of Woodring and the MSP have gone over to a search and arrest plan. A warrant for Woodring's arrest has been issued on charges of Open Murder and Felony Firearms. Anyone with any information is asked to call 1-800-991-TIPS

Tell me if he left on Monday....who shot the officer?? Are they going to try to charge him with murder if he wasn't even there?

http://www.wzzm.com/news/newsdefaultpopoff.asp?cmd=view&articleid=7643

[SCR1]

I believe the officer was wounded during the forced entry, well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer.

Funny they still have a warrant for murder againstt him.....hmmm.

[Centurion2000]

Read the article. They can't find his body in the rubble, and they found his backpack (identified by his wife as his) full of food & ammo, 3/4 mile from the house two hours after the fire. That seems to indicate he got away.

Not only did he get away ... he got away, left evidence that he was alive via the backpack of weapons, ammo and food which says a couple of other things.

1) There was no immediate pursuit of him.
2) He has geocaches elsewhere that he is confident that he can get to
3) That this will escalate. That backpack was a message

[HurkinMcGurkin]

well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer.

You must have missed the silly posts speculating about a "trap gun" that fired multiple shots in multiple directsions hitting two different officers.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I believe the officer was wounded during the forced entry, well if the Michigan state police think he wasn't even there then they just admitted it was friendly fire that killed the officer. Funny they still have a warrant for murder againstt him.....hmmm.

Yes, there seems to be a few details missing here.

[Joe Hadenuf]

You must have missed the silly posts speculating about a "trap gun" that fired multiple shots in multiple directions hitting two different officers.

Hehehe.....

[Joe Hadenuf]

Tell me if he left on Monday....who shot the officer?? Are they going to try to charge him with murder if he wasn't even there?

And that is what I am waiting to hear about. Interesting.....

[spunkets]

"He loved that cap--"

Those handmade items are the best ones.

[Catspaw]

Given he's on the lam now, I expect his family, friends and associates to be monitored closely.

[Dead Corpse]

You'd hope so. I just hope no one else dies before they can bring him in. Hopefully, he'll negotiate to turn himself in in front of a camera crew. If he's that paranoid, the cameras should help...